


Same Girl, Different Perspective

by FallingStars5683



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Big Sister Allura, Gen, Infighting, Kidnapping, Lotor is a Creep, Mild Language, Papa shiro, attractive pidge, keith/lance fight, klance, shallura - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2018-12-22 07:24:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11962551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallingStars5683/pseuds/FallingStars5683
Summary: Pidge's need to do laundry leads to new power, strengthened bonds, singlehanded victory, and plenty of shenanigans.Used to be a dumb little one-shot.





	1. What a Difference a Sweater Can Make

**Author's Note:**

> my first Voltron fic oh boy  
> bear with me on this one

Pidge was absolutely disgusted by the state of her sweater.

The diplomatic mission a few days ago had left her drenched to the teeth in what she assumed was some sort of Aurumenian swamp water. Not having a chance to clean her sweater in the following days, it had since started to house some sort of golden glowing algae-like creatures. She gritted her teeth and threw the funky-smelling thing into the laundry chute. _I knew Shiro sending me on that mission was a bad idea! Nature is disgusting!_

Pidge reluctantly started to sort through her closet in the small amount of clothing Allura had dragged her out to get, for "girl bonding time". Nothing struck her, so she simply grabbed a short pair of jean-shorts and a white t-shirt that ended up being a little too short. Sighing, she pulled her hair into a ponytail, grabbed a pair of ankle socks for good measure, and headed out to join the rest of the crew at breakfast.

Hunk was already hard at work in the kitchen, cooking up something that smelled absolutely delicious, while Shiro chatted with Allura and Coran, occasionally breaking off to yell at Keith and Lance, who were fighting over a chair that they had claimed simultaneously.

"If you want this chair so bad, it'll be over my dead body!"

"That can easily be arranged!"

"Get a room, you two," Pidge muttered as she dropped into a chair, already thinking about possible chemical solutions that could bust through those algae formations. It took her a moment to realize that she was attracting stares from around the table. She looked up with a glare. "One comment about the outfit, and I will rip out all of your throats."

"But-" Allura started. "You're wearing the clothes I got you! Finally!"

"Okay, so what? I didn't really have a choice!" Pidge fumed. She really wanted her sweater.

"But they look so cute on you!"

"That's it. I'm done." Pidge stood up and stormed out before Hunk even had a chance to finish cooking.

~o~

Hunk was a little confused.

He didn't much understand why Pidge hadn't been at the breakfast table, despite hearing her voice at some point, and none of the others had spoken of it either. He decided that something must be really wrong, so he wrapped up a couple of Pidge's favorite sandwiches and set out to find her.

It wasn't hard to locate her, but recognizing her was a completely different story. The Green Lion bay was where she always went whenever she was upset, and sure enough, she was there, computer hooked up to some new handmade device. But...was that really her?

"Pidge?" Hunk called out.

She turned, her scowl instantly brightening at the sight of her friend's face. "Oh, hey, Hunk! It's nice to see you." She glanced at his hands. "Whatcha got there?"

Hunk fiddled with the parcel. "Well, you didn't join us for breakfast, so I..." He couldn't speak. That outfit looked _so_ good on her. He could feel heat completely flooding his cheeks. "...I brought you...these sandwiches. Thought you might want them."

"Oh!" Pidge smiled and took the parcel gratefully. "Thanks, man! Truth is, I was gettin' kinda hungry, so this is perfect! Your sandwiches always cheer me up!"

"Uh, thank you." This was mortifying. Why couldn't he speak? _Pull yourself together, Hunk! For the love of quiznak!_ "So, uh, what are you working on?"

Pidge turned back to her screen, pushing her glasses a little higher up on her face. "It's a miniature prototype of an amplifier I want to install in the particle barrier generator. It seems to be working fine in this stage, but the tricky part now is installing it into the system without either everything overloading or it sucking too much energy and becoming more of a hindrance than a help."

Hunk only really half heard what she was saying. Without realizing it, he had simply started to stare at the small bit of exposed stomach under the shirt and the cute little ponytail and the legs. Oh those smooth legs - _Wait, no, STOP, HUNK! SHE'S FIFTEEN! AND YOUR FRIEND!_ It was with that thought that Hunk knew there was only one way to get through this situation. "That's great, really, and I'd love to hear more. I just, uh...need to go...help Allura with something..." He trailed off as he turned away and got himself out of there.

"Okay!" he heard Pidge call after him. "See you later!"

Hunk only slowed down his retreat when he rounded a corner, and eventually stopped to let his heart stop threatening to escape his chest and run back the way he'd come. He didn't understand why he had reacted like that. What the heck? What, was Pidge in an attractive outfit all it took for him to lose his mind?

Was Pidge attractive?

He thought about that. She had always just been one of the guys, but after today, no matter how she dressed, he doubted he would ever see her that way again.

~o~

Keith and Lance were at each other's throats, again.

The two boys had been helping Coran make some repairs in the engine room when Lance had accidentally tripped over a screwdriver on the floor trying to bring Coran the suspiciously extensive collection of hammers. Needless to say, Keith's back was still throbbing in pain, and both boys were riled up for nothing. In other words, nothing was new.

Just as the argument hit a fever pitch, Pidge walked into the room with a small device in her hands. "Hey, Coran, would it be alright if-oh." She took in the scene: Coran standing to the side, head in his hands, while Keith had Lance pinned to the floor, fury on both of their faces, tools and bits of metal scattered everywhere. "Is this not the best time?"

Coran simply looked up at her and sighed, sidestepping as Lance gained the upper hand in the grapple. "I will never understand why they feel the need to act this way every time they're in the same room. It's simply unfathomable."

Pidge snorted. "It's just 'cause they can't handle that fact that they're completely in love with each other."

Coran stifled a laugh.

They watched the wrestling match for a minute longer, then Pidge stepped over to them. "Hey!" she yelled, making herself heard over the noise.

Both boys barely even glanced at her before going back to each other, then stopped and just stared at her.

Keith was in awe. The youngest paladin, the small girl who looked too much like a boy for anyone to really regard her otherwise, had somehow transformed herself into a strong, powerful, independent young woman within the space of a single morning. It was intimidating, and made her that much more beautiful. _This is the third-largest surprise I've gotten on this ship,_ he thought.

Lance...Lance didn't know what to think. Pidge had seemed to go through a metamorphosis in the time since the Garrison Academy, since Voltron first pulled them up into this crazy adventure. First, she had revealed herself to be a girl and had become much of the sister Lance wished he had, and now she seemed to be reembracing her feminine side and had become one of the hottest girls he had ever seen. It was a miracle that he hadn't hit on her before this; although, he considered, she may have used that to beat the absolute crap out of him.

They continued to stare as Pidge continued to speak. "If you two are done, I have something I'd like to get your help with."

Immediately, both boys shot to their feet, dusting themselves off and straightening their hair. "Yes, ma'am," they replied in unison, then turned and glared at each other some more.

Coran snickered again.

Half an hour later, Pidge was entangled in the inner workings of the particle barrier generator, while Keith and Lance stood behind her, hanging onto her every command and glaring daggers through each other's foreheads. Pidge wriggled herself out of a tight spot and caught her breath, wiping the sweat off her brow. "Okay," she said, "can one of you pass me the size three wrench?"

Keith instantly started towards the toolbox, but Lance seized his arm and pushed ahead of him. Pissed, Keith tackled him to the floor, sending a small tin of nails flying.

"Everything okay out there?" Pidge called in concern.

"Fine! Everything's fine, Princ-" Lance was cut off by Keith wrapping his hand around his mouth and tugging up hard on his neck. Lance reached up and clawed at Keith's eyes in retaliation. Keith quickly rolled off, avoiding Lance's claws, and lunged again, pinning Lance on his back as before.

Lance struggled under Keith's strength. This wasn't fair! It wasn't fair that Keith always won everything! Or that he always seemed to know what he was doing, or that he was so muscular, or that his hair was so soft or his purple eyes so mesmerizing- _no!!_ He can't let that thought grow! He can't think that way because it means that he could be- _aha!_ Lance found an opening and curled up, kicking Keith off of him.

Keith landed hard on the floor next to Lance, still battered from their previous fight. For a minute, both boys simply lay there, catching their breath. Keith couldn't believe they were fighting again. Why couldn't Lance be someone that wasn't so infuriating? He was so annoying with those cheesy jokes and the carefree attitude and the soft skin like silk under his fingers- _no._ It was bad enough he was getting into physical fights with someone else; he didn't need to have that argument with himself again.

"Guys, I just wanted a wrench. Jeez, you really can't keep your hands off each other for longer than a few minutes, can you?"

The boys sat up quick as Pidge completely wiggled out of the hole, her butt visible before her torso. She readjusted her ponytail, then grabbed the wrench for herself. Keith and Lance made to apologize, but she cut them off with a "Don't lie. You were enjoying your time together and I butted in. I should be the one apologizing." With that, she finished the installation of the updated amplifier and cleaned up the tools, with the help of the boys.

As Pidge walked out, she could hear the beginnings of another argument break out in between Keith and Lance, and something crashed to the floor. What was going on with everyone today? She needed answers, and could only think of one person who could help her.

She gritted her teeth and headed for the command room.

~o~

"Wow." Shiro smirked at Allura. "Poor girl still hasn't figured it out."

Allura giggled. "What did you expect? She's better with machines than people."

Pidge sighed. She had expected this, of course, that they had seen something obvious that she hadn't, but it irked her nonetheless. "Can you please just answer my question? Why are the other guys acting even more like idiots than usual?"

Allura scooped up her mice. "Mind if I take this one, honey?"

"Not at all, babe," Shiro answered, holding in a laugh.

"You see, my young paladin," Allura begins, "my name may be Allura, but today that title belongs to you."

Pidge blinked. "What?"

"I thought my clever wordplay would have done it." Allura pinched the bridge of her nose. "Guess I'll have to be blunt. Pidge, when you wear that outfit, you are absolutely stunning."

Pidge continued to blankly stare.

"Oh, for the love of-the boys find you attractive!"

 _Now_ Pidge seemed to get it. Her face shifted from blank confusion to abject denial. "No way. No. Way. I'm not attractive. There's no chance."

Shiro barked out a laugh. "Seriously? Did you pay attention to what you were wearing this morning, or did you just throw it on like usual?"

Pidge turned to him. "This"-she gestured to herself-"was a complete accident. I had nothing else to wear because there are spores growing on my sweater!"

"Are you sure?" Allura inquired. "Because a rather flattering outfit like that one doesn't throw itself together by accident."

Furious, Pidge wheeled away. "Never mind. I don't know why I thought you'd be able to help me anyway." She stormed out of the room, leaving an amused Shiro and a slightly offended Allura.

Once Pidge was in the corridor, however, she stopped, unable to recall why she was angry. _It was because they were spouting complete quiznak,_ she fumed. But, as she neared her room, she began to realize that wasn't really it. Sure, it felt like they were just teasing her at the time, but what they were saying was pretty much spot-on. She entered her room and caught her reflection in the full-length mirror on the wall. Her outfit _was_ really physically flattering. And she did feel like it went together really well. Maybe she did pick it out on purpose. But why would she have done that? It's not like she wanted to wear something so stupidly girly. It's just...maybe she was tired of just being the little guy. It made her feel unappreciated as part of the group. Even with all of the hacking stuff she does for the team, she felt a little shunted because she wasn't as physically strong or as badass as the others. She felt powerless in a group of incredibly powerful figures. Even Allura, who was obstinately princesslike, was arguably the most powerful person on the entire team.

Maybe this was a kind of power. Maybe all Pidge had to do was embrace who she was as Katie as well as who she had worked to be as Pidge.

She looked at herself once more in the mirror with a new perspective. She did look really good in these clothes. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath, looked herself in the eyes and said:

"I am Pidge Gunderson. And I am Katie Holt."

A new feeling washed over Katie. A feeling not unlike satisfaction. She smiled, and walked confidently out of the room directly into a bright flash and then nothingness.

~o~

"Has anyone seen Pidge?"

Shiro and Allura looked up from the map of the universe to Hunk's concerned face. "No, not for a few hours," Shiro answered, "but I'm sure she's fine. She can handle herself."

Hunk's concern was not alleviated. "Thanks anyway, guys." He left to try to find Keith and Lance. Where were those two? He hadn't seen them since Coran asked for their help in the engine room that afternoon. Everyone seemed to be missing today.

He finally ran into Keith and Lance while on his way to check the kitchen. They were both breathless, faces flushed and hair a complete mess. Keith's jacket was on inside out, and Lance's shoes were on the wrong feet.

Hunk sighed in relief. "There you guys are! I was getting worried!" Then he saw the state of them. "You guys weren't fighting again, were you?"

Lance coughed. "Well, actually-"

"We were just looking for Pidge," Keith cut in quickly. "We, uh, wanted to thank her."

"Yeah," Lance agreed. "For helping us out as much as she did."

"You're gonna have to wait on that," Hunk informed them. "She hasn't been around in a while."

"Darn," Lance muttered as they made their way down the hall. "And here I wanted to take her out shopping."

Keith smiled. "Lance wanted to get her some more clothes. I have to admit, it's a good idea. She was intimidating today."

"No kidding," Hunk agreed. "She hasn't had a whole lot of that, honestly. Yeah, she has her scary moments, but mostly, she's just been another one of us, you know? Now, though, she's, like...whoa. She's a _girl._ " He scratched at his arm. "And that's not something I usually think of her as."

"Yeah, same here, buddy," Lance conceded. "Though I won't be flirting with her. For more than the obvious reasons, such as dismemberment."

Keith just laughed.

Hunk was getting suspicious. Why were they suddenly all buddy-buddy with each other? They had been trying to kill each other since the moment they met. "What gives, you two?"

Both boys turned bright red, and Lance actually tripped a little, Keith just barely catching him. "Whoa, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Lance assured him. "Just slipped on something."

Hunk looked to the floor to find the source. A small slip of paper lying on the ground had been the culprit of Lance's near-spill. Hunk picked it up and examined it, only to find some odd symbols in the underside. "What's this supposed to be? Some sort of code?"

Lance took a look. "It's certainly not Altean. Maybe we should take it to Allura, see what she makes of it."

"It's Galra."

Hunk and Lance whipped around to face Keith, who stood with a grim expression on his face. "Are you sure, babe?" Lance asked.

Keith nodded. "Dead sure. I recognize a few of those symbols from the tech on Galra ships we've invaded. Whoever left that, they know the language."

Hunk reeled. "But, that can't be any of us..."

Silence. Then-

" _We need to get to the others IMMEDIATELY,_ " Lance said, and grabbed Keith's hand as they made a break for the command center.

Hunk shook himself out of his stunned daze, then realized: "Wait, guys! GUYS! Since when have you called each other 'babe'?!!"

~o~

Allura's face paled as she read the translation of the note. She knew it couldn't contain anything good, but this was worse than anything she could have thought. How could they have even gotten aboard to do this? Why-

"Allura?" Lance prompted shakily as he hugged his boyfriend. "What...what does it say?"

"It..." Allura swallowed, mouth completely dry, and simply moved aside for the others to read.

_"I have your cute little paladin. Bring me the lions, and I promise you she will be returned to you almost untouched."_


	2. Evade and Respond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The paladins of Voltron go on a mission to rescue one of their own, but she may not actually need the help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been eighty four years...  
> Seriously, though. For the three of you that actually read this, thank you and enjoy.

Katie woke up somewhere...cold? When did she turn the lights off? And what was that smell?

She yawned and blinked the crust from her eyes, trying to remember just when it was she fell asleep. The last thing she recalled was...walking out of her room. That didn't make any sense. Then again, it had been kind of a weird day. Maybe her brain just needed time to process it all.

She tried to sit up in order to find Hunk, but found that she couldn't. She also couldn't move her arms. That snapped her to full consciousness, and she brought her head up, completely on guard.

Upon closer inspection, Katie realized that not only were her arms tied up, but her wrists and ankles as well, she had a throbbing pain in the back of her head, and she was in an unfamiliar room on the floor in the corner. She found herself starting to hyperventilate. _How did this happen? Why did they take me? How did they even get into the Castle without anyone noticing, much less the alarm system?_

She forced herself into some breathing exercises that Keith used regularly to control his anger. _Calm down, Katie. Panicking won't help you find a way out of this mess. Your first step should be figuring out who took you and where you are._

She wormed her way up the wall into a sitting position, then surveyed what she could through the darkness. Clearly, she was in the living chambers of a high ranking officer, possibly the captain of the ship. There were a few plush couches, as well as two or three small side tables. The technology was incredibly advanced, yet somehow Katie couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen it somewhere before. In fact, the feeling had been sitting like a leaden snake in her gut ever since she realized she wasn't in the Castle anymore.

It felt suspiciously like dread.

Suddenly, the door slid silently open and the room was brightly illuminated, rendering Katie momentarily blinded. When the spots cleared from her vision, she finally saw the source of the smell in the room - a heady, sickly sweet pheromone emanating from the talk figure striding proudly into the room towards her.

The leaden snake in her gut woke and started biting her in fear.

"It's so nice to see you finally awake, Ms. Green Paladin. A pleasure to be able to make your acquaintance like this."

Katie was face to face with Lotor, the Prince of the Galra Empire himself.

~•~

_**"FUCK!!"** _

"Language, Keith!"

Keith spun on Shiro in absolute fury. " _Really?!!_ Pidge Gunderson, the Green Paladin and our resident tech expert, has been kidnapped by Lotor, the fucking _prince of the Galra Empire,_ and you're talking to me about my goddamn _language?!?! _"__

__Lance wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's shoulders. "Babe, look, I know you're upset, but this isn't helping at all. Take it down a couple notches, please." Keith stopped and leaned into Lance's side, forcefully slowing his breathing._ _

__"Lance is right," Coran added. "No amount of emotion we spill will bring back our Number Five. We need to make a plan to rescue her from Lotor, and we don't have much time. Who knows what he could be doing to her as we speak."_ _

__Allura's face paled even farther, if it was possible. The poor princess has been silent the entire time, looking as if she would be sick. Not even Shiro rubbing calming circles into her back was helping her._ _

__"Uh, can we not talk about that, please?" Hunk looked horrified. "Really, the problem here is that we have no way of finding her. I don't even think she had any traceable tech on her."_ _

__Just like that, Allura's expression shifted a little bit to thoughtful. "Actually..." She made her way to the control panel in the center of the room. "Was she wearing that little charm bracelet earlier?"_ _

__Lance and Keith both shrugged. Shiro looked perplexed, and Hunk seemed almost uncomfortable, rubbing the back of his neck and face red. However, Coran gave Allura a bemused smile. "Of course she was, Princess. She's worn it every day since you got it for her."_ _

__Allura's face lit up. "Of course! Pidge installed a small tracking device and communicator into that bracelet! If we can find its signal--"_ _

__"Then we've found Pidge." Shiro joined his girlfriend at the module. "Girl, you're a genius!"_ _

__Hunk gave a small whoop, and he and the others joined their comrades as Allura worked diligently to find the signal. As she worked, the others strategized: they would take a single lion. They wished Pidge had been there to pilot Green because of her cloaking device, but in lieu of that, they decided that Lance would pilot Red in because that was the fastest. After finding a safe place to dock, Keith would use his bayard to carefully cut them a way into the ship. Once inside, Keith, Lance, and Allura would head towards the prisons while Shiro would guide Hunk to the control room. Hunk may not have the same level of technological expertise as Pidge, but he had learned a few things from the young girl, so he could do enough to shut down the alarms. "It's definitely going to be tough," Shiro said, "but it's the best chance we have."_ _

__Lance looked shaken for a moment. "Wow. Damn. I never realized just how much of our missions hinged on the success of Pidge. Really makes you think what we would do without...oh..." Keith buried his face in his hands and groaned as the realization hit his boyfriend once again. "Never mind. Ignore me."_ _

__Hunk busted up and probably wouldn't have stopped if Allura hadn't shouted out, "Got it!"_ _

__Instantly, the group sobered up and gathered around the projection. A green dot glowed in a galaxy luckily not far from their own. "Team Voltron," Shiro said, glancing at his compatriots, "we've got a soldier to rescue."_ _

__~•~_ _

__The mission, somehow, was going off without a hitch._ _

__The Red Lion had landed in a hidden corner under the ship's wing, Keith had made little noise getting the group inside, and Hunk had successfully disabled the alarms. That was all well and good._ _

__But for some reason, the rescue team couldn't locate Pidge. She wasn't in the prison quarters at all._ _

__"Okay, let me tell you, this is grade-A freaky," Lance said as they backtracked down a maintenance hallway. "We get into the ship and everything goes right, but where is she? It's like she just disappeared!"_ _

__"Think this could've been a trap?" Keith mutters._ _

__"No, it's definitely not," answers a perplexed Allura. "Lotor was quite clear about his demands, and he isn't exactly the type to stray from his plans. He tells you what he's going to do, and that's what he does."_ _

__"God, this is so frustrating!" Lance mumbled. "She could be thrown in a corner somewhere being beaten, terrified for her life, and we can't even find her! What kind of friends are we--"_ _

__Quite suddenly, the body of a Galra soldier was thrown around the corner. The group stops, wary. They knew it wasn't their comrades because they were still in the control room. So who just killed that soldier?_ _

__The answer to their question came running around the corner, hair wild, skirt torn, and blood dripping off of a blade in her hands. She stopped at the sight of her friends. "Oh. Hey, guys."_ _

__" _PIDGE?!!"__ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy. Girl, what have you done.
> 
> Send feedback here: fallingstars5683.tumblr.com


	3. Escape is a Tricky Business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the archive warnings. You see why in this chapter.  
> Lotor is a dick, just so you know.

" _Pidge?!?!_ "

Keith couldn't believe it. All their planning, the week leading up to this raid, all the stress and strain on the others, and they get here to find Pidge _already successfully escaping?!_ "How the hell?!?!"

"Yeah, what gives?" Lance assented. "If we'd known you were doing fine, we would've just waited for you to come to us."

Keith elbowed him in the side. "Lance, shut up!"

Pidge gave a giggle (a giggle!) and said "I see your relationship is going just fine."

"Actually, yeah, we're going great -- THAT IS NOT THE POINT," Keith redirected. "What have you been doing here this past week? How did you get out?"

"Guys, can we talk on the move? We're kinda out in the open here," Lance pointed out. They started to run back the way they had come, towards the control room.

Pidge took the lead, surprisingly. She seemed to know exactly where she was going. "Well, my escape is kind of a long story, but since you guys deserve to know..."

~o~o~o~o~o

A week ago, Katie would never have figured out how to escape the way she did. She was a little more concerned with keeping Lotor's hands off of her.

She had, of course, figured that there was some sort of ulterior motive behind Lotor's plans other than the lions. She could see it because she figured there was literally no other reason as to his kidnapping her and not a more valuable member of the team, like Allura or Shiro. It was what that ulterior motive was that eluded her until she was forced to wear the slightly slutty outfit.

Lotor was a horny little shit.

Katie Holt, independent young woman, Green Paladin of Voltron, had been turned into eye candy for the Prince of the Galra Empire. This was absolutely ridiculous and somewhat ironic, given she was also the resident lesbian of the team. _Better not tell Lotor that,_ she thought to herself, stifling a smile. It was best to just play along and hope she wasn't expected to do much else other than sit still, look pretty.

Nothing really happened until Day Two, when Lotor had stormed into his living chambers, looking frustrated as hell. Apparently, he had come incredibly close to capturing another of those strange comets, but Hunk and Lance had shown up and intercepted the retrieval ship and taken the comet before Lotor could get to it. Katie had silently cheered them, of course, but her happiness was short-lived, as he had turned around and taken his frustrations out on her. The chains on her wrists and ankles, connecting her to the wall, prevented her from properly defending herself, and Lotor wasn't satisfied until she was riddled with bruises and had a cut lip. Once he had calmed, he turned and sunk down into his big armchair next to her spot on the wall.

"My dear, what am I to do? They seem to keep getting the best of me lately." He casually took what appeared to be a heavy-duty nail file out of his pocket and started sharpening his already pristine claws. "Of course, it's useless asking you. I can't expect someone like you to understand proper strategy like a real leader."

Katie gritted her teeth, ignoring her aching lip. She had to find a way out of here, if only to beat the bullshit out of this guy's system.

"But, then again, we can't all be leaders." Lotor set the nail file down and reached over, cupping Katie's messy, swollen face in his gentle grip. "Some of us are just pretty faces. Honestly, I cannot fathom how you managed to become part of Voltron in the first place! It's beyond me!"

He let go, standing up, and turned towards the door. "Now, I have some important work to take care of, so hold down the place while I'm gone, darling! I'll be back~"

And with that, the door slid closed behind him. Katie was alone again.

She smiled. "Who's the dumb one now, asshole?" she muttered as she reached over and grabbed the abandoned nail file with her teeth.

~o~o~o~o~o~

"I'm sorry, he BEAT YOU?!"

Shiro was shaking. He had never, ever felt this mad about anything _ever._ But this? This was completely unacceptable! This disgusting excuse for nobility had put his hands on Shiro's youngest, most valuable teammate. He was going to march into that command center and snap Lotor's neck himself!

Pidge put her hands up in a calming manner. Only now did he notice the mostly faded remains of purple bruised skin. "Dude, it's fine. I'm fine. Don't worry, I got him back already."

"That doesn't make us feel better," Hunk said, looking positively murderous. "But I'll take it."

"Speak for yourself," Lance countered. "Pidge, you RULE!"

"Can she finish the story?" Keith complained.

Allura cleared her throat, struggling to wipe the fury from her own features. "Right. Sorry, Pidge. Please continue."

~o~o~o~o~o~

It took her two more days to work the locks on her chains, but once she was out, she could roam around the living space freely, hiding the file in her elaborate brassiere and relocking herself when necessary. She easily hacked the ship's systems, memorizing the layout, guard rotation, and soldier pod location within minutes, as well as the mission schedule for Lotor's personal guard. She also discreetly attacked the alarm system, making it a small fraction of its original dependency without leaving any trace that she'd ever been there. _These Galra really need to step up their game,_ she thought to herself. _A child could take out their entire system in a matter of hours._

In less than two days, she had the perfect escape plan ready to go in her mind. Now all that was left was to execute it.

On the day of escape, however, one tiny little variable had been unaccounted for. One that made Katie's job messier than she hoped it would be.

As she dropped the chains to the floor, a guard walked into the room with a platter of food and set it on the table. He started to walk away, then stopped, turned, and looked right at Katie in disbelief. A beat of silence. Then he quickly drew his sword, rushing her.

She used her small size to her advantage. Ducking under his swing, she ran towards the wall, jumped off of it, and landed on his back. While he tried to turn around, she climbed his body, wrapped her legs around his head, and squeezed, falling backwards to pull against his neck. He lost the ability to breathe almost immediately, dropping the sword and falling to his knees. Less than three minutes later, he was out cold on the ground.

Katie climbed off of him and got to her feet, catching her breath. What to do with this guy was obvious. She chained him to the wall and grabbed his sword before running out into the hallway.

She had come across several guards on her way to the command center before finally finding Lotor heading down a hallway by himself. There weren't any guards around, so, feeling vengeful, Katie snuck up behind him and pommel-slammed him in the back of the head, rendering him unconscious and bleeding on the floor. She dragged him into a closet and locked him in from the inside before moving on. It was only a few more turns through back areas before she unexpectedly ran into Keith and Lance.

~o~o~o~o~o~

"And now we're here."

The others were stunned silent. Pidge -- the youngest member of the Voltron Paladins, the least experienced with any sort of hand-to-hand combat -- was standing here, in front of them, with a bloodied sword, bruised and tired, but still standing strong after a week of captivity and beatings. They had thought that the girl was someone that needed to be protected, but this...this was real power. This was something that the other boys now felt they lacked in -- the ability to keep walking even in the face of almost unconquerable odds. Even Keith, who had battled endlessly through the Trials of Marmora, felt insignificant (although later Pidge would tell him that that was ridiculous. She felt she would never have been able to do something like that).

Finally, Lance broke the quiet. "Wow. Respect to the Pidgeon. That's incredible."

"No shit," Shiro agreed. "We've been struggling, trying to work out all of the kinks in our plans and filling in gaps, and you planned your entire escape down to the moment in the space of a couple of days."

"It really shows how much we need you, Pidge," Hunk said. "I feel like we haven't really been taking you as seriously as we should've been. You've just been the techie, never being really in the biggest action, and we saw you as something...I don't know. Delicate? Definitely not one for fighting by yourself."

"But you're stronger than you look, girl," Keith added. "From now on, no more underestimating the little one."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Alright, we've got what we came for," Allura said nervously. "Can we please get going? I really don't want to have to deal with any more guards."

Pidge smiled. "Leaving. That is an idea I can get behind."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goddamn, it's hard to write dialogue for Lotor. How do you write fresh, new lines for such a condescending, slimy character?  
> Of course, I guess watching Neo Yokio helped a little. That show is hilarious.
> 
> Send feedback here: fallingstars5683.tumblr.com


	4. Some Things Change, Others Really Shouldn't

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The paladins take a well-deserved rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter. A little epilogue to follow.

Team Voltron was so damn happy to be out of that mess. 

This whole thing had been such a wild ride, and all they wanted to do was go back to the Castle and not move for a week - or what passed for a week in space. It didn't matter. They weren't moving. 

As Lance carefully pulled Red back into the hangar and everyone clambered out, Shiro had noticed Pidge looking a little down. He and Allura exchanged a look (you know the look - the one you can only communicate with if you're on that level with someone), and she walked over and wrapped her arm around Pidge's shoulders. "Pidge, are you feeling alright? Do you need to lie down?"

Pidge looked up, startled, her little ponytail giving a bob. "What? Oh, no, I'm good. Just a little hungry."

Another thing the whole team could agree with. 

It wasn't until they were all around the table, chowing down on some of Hunk's epic sandwiches, that the subject was breached again. "Pidge, you sure you're okay?" Lance asked from under Keith. "You have never been this quiet in all the time I've been around you."

Pidge didn't respond for a moment. Then, slowly, the answer came back: "Sorry. I just...feel like I don't know a whole lot about you guys, like way less than I thought I did. You all got so mad when you found out Lotor had beat me, even when you haven't known me for that long. And it got me thinking about how much I tell you guys, like really tell you, about my own past, which is practically nothing. I feel like I'm not much of a good teammate if the only person I'll really talk to about the serious stuff is Shiro."

Shiro blushed a little. 

"So, from now on, I'm going to be way more open with you guys," Pidge continued. "You guys are gonna know so much about me it'll make you sick." She turned to Allura. "And I will wear every bit of that clothing you got me, I promise. You put a lot of care into that, and I never properly thanked you for it. So, thank you so much. It really means a lot to me."

"Well, there's one piece of clothing I'm sure you couldn't do without," Coran said, handing her a soft, thick bundle of fabric. 

Pidge pulled it out of its folds, looking ecstatic. "Sweater!!" she said as she immediately pulled it over her bare shoulders. "Ohh, I've missed you!"

"I made sure it got washed myself," Hunk said happily, ever the domestic. "It was a pain and a half, but those things died pretty quickly with some of that weird fizzy water."

"Nice," Keith said appreciatively. 

"Looking good, Pidge!" Lance winked. 

Pidge smiled a little wider. "Actually...you can just call me by my actual name. Katie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this little bit of fun. It was a challenge writing this, but so worth it. 
> 
> Also, before you nasties say anything, Keith was _sitting on Lance's lap._ Nothing else. 
> 
> Follow me: fallingstars5683.tumblr.com


	5. Epilogue: Moving Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Voltron looks to the future and reflects on the past.

Lance freaked out again. "Wh- _Katie?!!_ When the fu-who else knew?!! Am I last again?!!"

It seemed the only one that had known was Shiro, but that didn't make him feel much better. Keith took him for a much-needed cuddle and nap.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Allura stood at her station that night, watching the stars roll by in the distance. She didn't realize Shiro was behind her until he said, "You're the prettiest, you know. No need to be jealous."

At this point, she wasn't even surprised. He snuck up on her every night just for this. "You should be resting. It's not good for you to be going so long without sleep."

"Eh, it's not like I'm an actual paladin anymore, right?" He said it offhandedly, but she could hear the undertone of melancholy in his voice. She turned and hugged him.

"That doesn't mean you can't be the dad everyone thinks you are," she mumbled into his shirt. Into his muscles. _Oh sweet Altea above, those muscles..._

"I'm not a dad."

"You're Space Dad. That's what the others call you."

"While I'm flattered, they need to take it back. I don't have a mom to share responsibilities with."

Allura slumped a little in his arms. He smiled. "On second thought..." he said as he pulled her in for a kiss.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Hunk found himself unable to sleep that night, and instead went wandering around the castle. Somehow, he found himself in the room where King Altor's A.I. unit had once been, its remains now laying shattered on the floor.

However, tonight the pieces were not alone. Coran sat on the floor, at the foot of the dias, looking depressed. Without prompt, Hunk slid in next to him and put his big arm around the Altean's shoulders. "You really miss him, huh?"

Coran sighed. "If I could give my life for just five more minutes with the king, I would do so willingly. He was one of the greatest men I have ever met."

"Yeah, but if you died, we'd all miss you too." Hunk gave him a smile. "We need you, man. You complete us."

Coran sniffed a little. "You're right, of course. I am pretty great, aren't I?"

"There you are!" With that, Hunk stood up and offered Coran a hand. "Come on. Let's get you to bed."

~o~o~o~o~o~

Lance felt so fucking happy right now.

For the life of him, he couldn't understand why he had insisted on fighting with Keith this whole time instead of just being honest with himself, because then he could have ended up spooning Keith like this a hell of a lot sooner. He had to admit, now that it was all out in the open and they were an official couple, it felt like there was an immense amount of weight off of his chest. Apparently, a lot of that stuff had just been bogging him down the whole time and setting him back from being the best he could be on the team. True, he still missed home, and he still felt as if he might not be pulling his weight, but at least now it was easier to deal with those things and work to change them.

He sighed, content for the moment, about to drift off...

Shit. His stomach just rumbled. He needed food.

He tried very, very, _very_ carefully to move out of Keith's arms.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" Keith asked, flipping Lance onto his back.

Lance felt awful. "Aw, man, did I just wake you up?"

"You know I don't sleep."

Lance was finding it really hard trying to think of a comeback when Keith was straddling him. "Uh...I was...just..."

"Y'aint going nowhere soon, man."

"Y'aint?"

"Y'aint."

Lance smiled. "That's the sexiest thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth."

Keith gave a grin right back. "It's about to be the second sexiest."

Despite his blushing, Lance laughed. He could get used to this.

~o~o~o~o~o~

The morning came too soon for Katie's liking.

She yawned and sat up, surprising herself by waking up in her bed. She didn't exactly remember how she ended up there and not Green's hangar, but it was the most decent sleep she had gotten in who the fuck knows. Her muscles were pleasantly sore and needed a stretch.

So that's what she did, being careful not to bounce her muscles. She knew she was putting off the inevitable having-to-face-her-team-as-herself thing, but she had made a promise that she intended to keep no matter what.

The first part of that would probably be her appearance. She stepped to the closet and took a look inside: the clothes Allura had gotten her were still hanging up, as clean and unused as when she got them. Ignoring the usual sweater (sorry, buddy, but not today), she pulled out a long-sleeved green shirt and a short white skirt, pulling on some sandals and reapplying the ponytail. She looked at herself in the small mirror on the inside of the door. All things considered, she didn't look too bad. Way different from her Pidge look, that's for sure.

Smiling to herself, she shut the closet door and exited the room. There was a long day of family bonding ahead, and Katie was not going to miss a moment of it.

 

~fin.~

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this! A dumb little idea based on a picture I decided to draw in the middle of a chemistry lecture. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave feedback so that I can improve.
> 
> Fun fact: Aurumenia is actually a planet I made up for one of my original works about a girl from Earth who ends up part of the universal government, representing her entire galaxy. The planet has a sister planet called Argamenia, which is silver to the former's gold. A fun little idea I decided to insert into this fic.


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